Stories by Tess Brunton
News
Wild pigs outnumber population of St Bathans and residents are nervous
Central Otago residents say they are tired of feeling unnerved and being constantly on alert with wild pigs running amok around St Bathans.
Tourism operators optimistic as visitor numbers begin to recover
Summer tourist numbers have bounced back to about half of what they were before Covid-19 as Aotearoa marked the first summer with the border back open.
Otago residents say tougher flood hazard rules could make land unsellable
Otago landowners are fighting to stop their properties from being rezoned, saying tougher flood hazard rules could make them uninsurable and unsellable.
Government reverses $10 million in hospital cuts
The government has forked out an extra $10 million for the new Dunedin Hospital rebuild just months after making controversial cuts, but has ruled out further large redesigns.
'More rats than they have seen' - Cyclone-damaged areas face rodent plague
As cyclone-hit communities rebuild their lives, pests have been making the most of the chaos, destruction and abandoned homes.
More Queenstown businesses look to buy worker accommodation
More Queenstown businesses are looking to buy accommodation for their staff, with the rental shortage causing some employees to leave before their first day.
Homeless in paradise: Queenstown residents living in cars, tents
People in Queenstown are resorting to living in cars, tents, hostels and couch surfing as rentals are in very short supply. Audio
Hot pies and warm drinks: Puketapu local store opens to 'feed the people'
A Hawke's Bay man hasn't let Cyclone Gabrielle put him off from buying a local store in a hard hit rural area.
Laundry volunteers wash away mud-caked residents' worries
When Annabel Mason co-founded the Hawke's Bay Cyclone Laundry Network, she had no idea how quickly it would snowball.
'It was a beautiful thing': Hawke's Bay community turns out to walk displaced dogs
The Hawke's Bay community is getting tails wagging at an animal evacuation centre, with residents arriving in droves to walk displaced dogs.
Conservationist in her 80s documents rare sea lion species
A chance encounter with a sea lion and its pup sparked a passion for Janet Ledingham, who now spends her days documenting one of the rarest sea lion species in the world.
Cyclone Gabrielle: Community flooded before emergency alert sent out
Billy MacDonald had already evacuated neighbours in rapidly rising floodwaters by the time an alert was sent warning residents of the danger. Audio
'I'd call it an apocalypse basically' - Areas of Hawke's Bay left a disaster zone
Residents say it's like a bomb has gone off in the area with cars upside down, roads washed away and debris thrown everywhere after Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the region.
Stories of hope amongst ruin in Hawke's Bay
Heartbreaking stories of people who have lost everything are emerging as the devastation Cyclone Gabrielle brought upon Hawke's Bay becomes clearer.
Dunedin council mulls costly fight against downgraded hospital plans
Ballooning costs mean it might soon have fewer beds, operating theatres and MRI units than promised.
Staff shortages back in the spotlight as student workers return to university
Te Anau businesses are bracing for more staff shortages as student workers return to their studies in the coming weeks.
Investigation underway after helicopters nearly collide mid-air in Queenstown
One pilot took evasive actions to avoid hitting the other at Queenstown Airport last month.
'It's going to be a challenging summer' - tour manager
Backpacker bookings are looking healthy but the industry is worried it is on the back foot following multiple closures and ongoing staffing shortages.
Gore mayor loses bid for executive assistant: 'It is a luxury item'
Gore district's new mayor Ben Bell has lost a bid for his own executive assistant.
'A lot of them should come back' - Indigenous Australians celebrate return of taonga
An Ōtepoti museum has returned cultural artefacts first taken from Indigenous Australians more than a century ago.
Tourism figures urge new industry vision for youth: 'A future career and a lifelong goal'
Emerging tourism leaders are urging young people to start thinking of the industry as a career and not just short-term jobs on the way to something better.
Climate change impacts weigh on New Zealand tourism industry
Tourism leaders are grappling with the future of their industry as the impacts and disruptions of climate change become more widely felt. Audio
Dunedin buzzing as FIFA World Cup 2023 tickets go on sale
Some matches for the 2023 Women's Football World Cup are nearly sold out despite individual tickets going on sale earlier today.
Cherry growers hopeful for harvest but wary of challenges
In Central Otago, the cherry blossoms are slowly giving way to fruit after a colder start to spring.
Queenstown's TSS Earnslaw steams toward greener future
The Lady of the Lake - Queenstown's TSS Earnslaw - has celebrated 110 years since it first set sail. But its owners say it has not run out of steam yet.